Gary Lawless: Kane will be traded by Winnipeg….eventually

Gary Lawless of the Winnipeg Free Press believes that Evander Kane’s days in Winnipeg are numbered. This comes on the heels of Kane tweeting a photo of himself with stacks of hundreds in Vegas. Lawless believes that the photo showed a level of immaturity that is unfit for Winnipeg. Yes, a 21-year-old tweeting a photo of himself in Vegas is apparently immature.

Sure, the timing isn’t exactly the greatest. Kane is a member of a union in a big labor strife, one with seemingly no end. This lockout has cost people jobs, and has cost surrounding businesses millions of dollars. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the Jets are going to trade away their franchise player. Let’s take a step back and realize that Kane is a 21-year-old 30-goal scorer who can do this. He’s the face of the Winnipeg franchise. The last time that city traded away their face (Teemu Selanne), they wound up in Phoenix.

Kane is signed to a five-year deal –one that expires when he is 26 years old, before he hits unrestricted free agency– to a cap hit of a little above $5 million. Thirty goals for five years for $5 million? The line for Kane would be 29 teams long.

If he does hit the market, expect Kane to fetch at least one young roster player, one top prospect, and a first round pick, at a minimum. That of course assumes he’s going to be traded right away, which he won’t be. At the current moment, the cost from the Rangers perspective would be along the lines of Carl Hagelin, Brady Skjei, and a first round pick. But that doesn’t include the bidding war coming from the other 28 teams in the NHL. Assume the price is higher.

But remember that Lawless said that Kane will be traded by the end of his contract. That gives us five years of Kane trade rumors. Giddy-up.

After I posted, I read that Kane is not a very coachable player, and maybe not the best teammate. They say he brings his girlfriend with him at times, for away games. Maybe after reading this, I could understand why they are saying what they are!!!!!

I don’t know…mentioning that there are people without jobs and Kane’s tweet in the same sentence is nothing more than a Ken Campbell-esque attempt at character assassination. It’s media sensationalism at its finest. Lawless just has an ax to grind.